2022 Cristom Jessie Vineyard Pinot Noir, Eola-Amity Hills, USA (750ml)

WINEMAKER'S NOTES: 

The 2022 vintage is rich and intense yet impeccably balanced. Aromatics of black cherry, dark raspberry, violets, and baking spice rise from the glass, underpinned by savory herbs and a distinct mineral edge. The palate is firm and deeply layered—generous fruit wrapped in fine-grained tannins, energized by the whole-cluster lift that’s signature to the house style. It’s a wine that carries its weight with grace.

TASTING NOTES: 

This section of the Cristom estate was hit pretty hard with voles and they obliterated a big block of vines looking for water. The aromatics of fresh berries and fresh mint show the steep site's signature, taking twice the work of the rest of the single vineyards at Cristom. A balance of grace and power, this bottling was Steven Spurrier's favourite. The elegance overcomes the power of the site, with earth and forest floor aromas finishing the show. The palate is a marriage of ripeness with the savoury character and superb tannins that the vintage has given winemaker Daniel Estrin to work with. This is an ageable example of Oregon Pinot Noir with ripe berries, fresh bing cherry flesh and delicious notes of dried anise.

- Decanter, 96 pts. 

Perfumed aromas of rose petals and potpourri, then a generous, velvety texture that carries black cherries, blueberries and hints of sour cherries, black tea and cocoa. Fermented with 49% whole clusters. 30% new oak. A warm but balanced and singular wine. Drink now or hold.

- James Suckling, 96 pts. 

A ripe ruby red color, the 2022 Pinot Noir Jessie Vineyard displays a more savory profile. Coming from the winery’s steepest vineyard site with a 33% grade, it has an elegant floral perfume of ripe berries, and the texture is supple, with ripe tannins and an approachable feel. It’s well-detailed, with a cushion of approachability, but it’s fully dry and has a savory undertone. Drink 2025-2040.

- Jeb Dunnuck, 96 pts. 

The 2022 Pinot Noir Eileen Vineyard seduces with a sweetly spiced yet refined bouquet that blends cloves and cinnamon sticks with dusty rose, mint and bright cherries. Silken to the core and lifted in feel, this sweeps across the palate with grace, soothing with its juicy acidity as ripe red berry fruits slowly saturate. It's gently tannic and potent, leaving a staining of primary concentration while finishing dramatically long and classically dry. The Eileen Vineyard refined for seventeen months in 32% new French oak.

- Vinous, 95 pts.